Remembering Liverpool’s Spectacular January 2013 Bargain Hunt

Liverpool are at a critical juncture in the current campaign, with the hard-earned 0-0 draw away at Arsenal keeping them positioned inside the top four, despite a disastrous first half to the season. Many expected the Reds to follow on from their dominant title win last term by mounting another Premier League title challenge, with a summer spending spree in excess of £400m only strengthening that opinion. What a difference a few months can make.

A terrible run throughout the autumn saw the Merseysiders lose six Premier League games out of seven, leaving them 14 points behind the table-topping Gunners, and online betting sites simply cannot envision a successful LFC title defence. If you like to place your bets at Bovada Sportsbook, you’ll have noticed that the popular bookmaker has Arne Slot’s side listed as 100/1 outsiders to reel in Arsenal.

As such, one might have expected further expenditure throughout the January transfer window to return to contention. However, with more than £400m spent just six months ago, the Reds are expected to have a quiet month, despite the need for additional firepower both up front and in central midfield.

Luckily, the Anfield club have managed to pull off several spectacular bargain buys over the years, forking out relatively low transfer fees for top-quality players. Will they do the same this month? Perhaps, but no winter window in L4 will ever be as impressive as the one we saw back in January 2013.

Philippe Coutinho Takes Merseyside By Storm

Liverpool had very little going for them at the start of 2013. Throughout January, they languished in seventh place in the Premier League table and looked a million miles away from securing a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2009. Brendan Rodgers was six months into his reign in charge at Anfield, and he was in dire need of support for talisman Luis Suarez and captain Steven Gerrard.

Unfortunately for the new man at the helm, there weren’t bucketloads of cash available to him. However, one player who was attainable for a cut-price fee was Inter Milan’s Philippe Coutinho. The playmaker had failed to develop as quickly as the Nerazzurri expected him to and they duly made him available for just £8.5m. The Reds were only too happy to pay the asking price, and what a signing it turned out to be.

Within 18 months, he had helped Liverpool to the brink of a shock Premier League title victory. The young Brazilian netted eight goals and provided 13 assists throughout that timeframe, striking up a fearsome attacking trident alongside Suarez and a teenage Raheem Sterling, and better was yet to come.

Following Suarez’s blockbuster departure to Barcelona in the summer of 2014, Coutinho would become Liverpool’s main man, culminating in a season for the ages in 2016/17. With Jurgen Klopp at the helm, the Brazil international helped the Reds to return to the Champions League thanks to a return of 14 goals and nine assists in all competitions.

At the start of 2018, he too would secure a move to Catalonia, with the Blaugrana coughing up a whopping £142m. With that war chest, Liverpool would go on to build an all-conquering side. Under Klopp, the new look outfit ended a 30-year Premier League drought and secured the club’s sixth European Cup.

Considering the transformative additions of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker in 2018, perhaps none of that would have been possible without Coutinho’s sale.

Daniel Sturridge Arrives, and the SAS is Formed

Coutinho wasn’t the only bargain buy in L4 in January 2013. Three weeks before the Brazilian arrived at Anfield, Liverpool snapped up young striker Daniel Sturridge from rivals Chelsea for just £12m. The Englishman had been on loan at Bolton Wanderers in 2011, netting eight times in 12 games. He then returned to Stamford Bridge for the 2011/12 season and netted 13 goals in 43 appearances, his most prolific campaign yet.

Just as he seemed poised for a genuine breakthrough, though, Chelsea moved in a different direction. He made just seven appearances throughout the first half of the 2012/13 season, with the Blues instead opting for former Liverpool hitman Fernando Torres as their first-choice striker. As a result, the ex-Manchester City youngster left for Anfield, and much like Coutinho, he went on to shine.

Sturridge formed the lethal SAS partnership alongside Suarez, netting 11 goals throughout his first six months at Anfield. In his first full season, the talented striker bagged a whopping 21 Premier League goals, with his Uruguayan partner in crime adding a further 31. Those exploits took Liverpool to the brink of the title, but the former Chelsea man would never hit those heights again.

From 2014 onwards, injuries began to take their toll, and he would never feature in more than 20 league games in a season again. Still, he was on the books for Liverpool’s Champions League triumph under Klopp and was a valued member of the squad, even if he wasn’t the first name on the teamsheet as the attacking triumvirate of Bobby Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah took hold.

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